Forest Kindergarten Faces Closure... Will 'Secured Budget + Alternative Sites' Offer a Way Forward?

Park Jaeseon Asserts: "Utilizing the Secured Budget Places No Burden on Wando County"


Will the Ecological Educational Rights of Local Children at Risk of Abolition Find Relief?

In response to the unilateral decision to abolish the "Forest Kindergarten" program at Wando Arboretum (as reported by this publication on August 6), the local political community has immediately stepped in to address the issue.

Jaeseon Park, an assemblyman from the United Democratic Party (Wando 1), part of the Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City Council, has proposed a realistic alternative of continuing the program through the use of substitute facilities. This has accelerated efforts to secure the ecological educational rights of hundreds of local children.

Previously, this publication pointed out that, due to the construction of the National Subtropical Arboretum, Wando Arboretum has decided to completely halt the Forest Kindergarten program starting next year. As a result, children in Wando and Haenam—areas lacking educational infrastructure—are at risk of losing their only opportunity to learn in a natural environment.

Overview of Wando Arboretum.

"Maintaining the Already Secured 120 Million Won Is Sufficient... It Is a Matter of Will, Not Budget"

Following the report, Assemblyman Park immediately began working on a solution. He stated, "It is unacceptable to deprive children in the Wando area of their most valuable educational asset simply because of construction, especially amid a crisis of population decline." The heart of the solution he presented lies in "maintaining the already secured budget" and "using alternative facilities."

According to Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City on August 7, the budget for the commissioned operation of the Wando Arboretum’s forest interpretation program has already been allocated at 120 million won annually for both 2025 and 2026, specifically for personnel expenses. This structure allows Wando County to continue the project using existing personnel and budget without any additional financial burden.

There is also clear demand on the ground. In 2025, 373 children from 21 educational institutions are expected to participate in the Forest Kindergarten program, while this year, 340 children from 18 institutions are participating.

Assemblyman Park argued, "The Wando Arboretum cites location and budget issues as reasons for reducing the project, but failing to use the already allocated budget and resources is a typical case of shirking responsibility. Just as we cannot halt children's growth, this situation is not due to insufficient budget but rather a lack of administrative will," he sharply criticized.

Assemblyman Park proposed a practical solution of relocating educational activities to alternative forest facilities owned by Wando County, such as nearby cypress forests outside the construction areas within the arboretum. He analyzed that simply changing the venue would not only ensure the continuity of the program but also provide a diverse ecological experience to the more than 700 children on the waiting list without any disruptions.

In particular, Assemblyman Park strongly urged the Forest Recreation Division of Jeonnam-Gwangju Integrated Special City to actively review possible connections to alternative sites.

He reiterated, "Abolishing the Forest Kindergarten is not merely an administrative decision—it is breaking a promise to local children and parents. Given the reality in Jeonnam, where each remaining child is precious amid a population crisis, it is our unquestionable responsibility to safeguard the best educational environment for these children."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.